New legal fronts to open
More states to sue Israel over Gaza crimes
Israel faces heightened international scrutiny in the International Court of Justice for its actions in Palestine, with the United Nations asserting that its “relentless” bombardment of Gaza violates international law.
Indonesia and Slovenia have shown their support for another case against Israel at the ICJ concerning violations of the rights of Palestinians.
Both countries said that they will be joining proceedings that seek an advisory opinion on Israel’s control of, and policies, on the occupied Palestinian territory. The hearing will begin on 19 February.
The UN General Assembly voted in December 2022 to request that the ICJ issue an advisory opinion on whether Israeli policies against Palestinians violated international law.
The request was made almost a year before the beginning of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, in which more than 24,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory.
“The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination must be respected. Israel’s occupation of Palestine, which has lasted for more than 70 years, will not erase the right of the Palestinian people to independence,” Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was quoted as saying by the Indonesian foreign
ministry.
Ljubljana said that Israel’s war on Gaza and increased Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank were the reasons for its decision to take part in the action.
“In the light of recent events in Gaza and the West Bank, Slovenia, as one of the few EU countries, has decided to actively participate and present its views in these proceedings before the International Court of Justice, which has been asked to give an advisory opinion,” Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said at a press conference.
In a separate case at the ICJ, public hearings were held last week for South Africa’s case that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
South Africa’s case against Israel was backed by several countries.
A decision on whether to back the demands of South Africa, which includes an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, is due to be made by the court in the next few weeks.
Indonesia said it supported South Africa’s case against Israel, though it is not a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Slovenia has been calling since October for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Also the European Parliament on Thursday called for a “permanent cease-fire” in Gaza – but on condition that all Israeli hostages are released immediately and Hamas dismantled.
Violence case at ICC
Meanwhile, Mexico and Chile expressed “growing worry” on Thursday over “an escalation of violence” after several months of war between Israel and Hamas in a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over possible crimes.
Hamas launched a surprise attack in Israel in October, killing 1,200.
The Israeli retaliatory offensive on the Hamas-led Gaza Strip has led to increasing international alarm and scrutiny over the deaths of civilians, especially children. Gaza health authorities said on Thursday the war’s death toll had risen to 24,620, with many more feared buried under the rubble.
In a statement, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry argued that the ICC was the proper forum to establish potential criminal responsibility, “whether committed by agents of the occupying power or the occupied power”.
“The action by Mexico and Chile is due to growing worry over the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets,” it said.
Both the ICJ and the ICC handle cases of alleged genocide, with the former resolving disputes between states and the latter prosecuting individuals for crimes.